Feeling very weird after general anaesthetic

[scaredofhospital]

I've had a laparoscopy this morning under a general. I've been feeling very drowsy and also dizzy on standing, feel like I will faint when I stand and try to walk. I've had cup of tea and biscuits but just feel so strange and unsteady when I walked to the toilet. Is this normal? I've been hours but still not right to be able to walk out of the hospital. I just want to go
Home. They've advised me to lie back down and more fluids and rest etc.

It feels like a sensation of falling, a bit like I'm drunk, when I tried to walk slowly to the toilet. I
The lady in the bed opposite me had her op after me and has already gone home, she walked out fine and seemed really steady on her feet. What's wrong with me?

Nurses are so kind, telling me to take my time and just rest, no rush etc, but I had my op at 9am, surely I should be able to get out of here by now? It's only meant to be a day case procedure, I feel bad I'm taking up a bed.

Why can't I just walk out of here? Is this normal? I feel so pathetic. 😔

I am the same as you after GA , it takes me 12 hrs to start to feel normal and 24 /36 hrs to feel anything like properly normal.

My emotions are all over the place too and I'm often sick too.

Try to have another drink and something to eat and a doze too.
Take it easy and don't worry , ga is a weird thing .

Ask for a sandwich? The kitchen will have some. Should really help

Totally normal, take it easy and rest. I felt horrendous after GA but forced myself to eat ice cream and jelly to get my sugar levels back up (after having all wisdoms out).
Burst into tears when DH came to collect me and then wet myself in bed because I couldn't go for a wee property 🙃
Give yourself a few days and you'll be back to normal!

I'm sure if the nurses were concerned about your recovery they'd say something.

GA is very strong (stating the obvious) and if you normally have low blood pressure, which dropped further in surgery, then totally understandable.

One of the fittest people I know - he runs marathons and has been up Everest, among other things - took a while to get over a GA as a day patient as he has very low blood pressure. Probably someone less fit and/or suffering with high blood pressure would have fewer issues with the wooziness.

Likely to be the morphine too, just ride it out and relax, you'll be home soon enough x

I react loads to any sort of anaesthetic. I had a sensitive once and the next day my mother-in-law came to help with my baby. She found me looking at the baby on the sofa and I ask her "that's a nice baby who's is it? 😂

I was dreadful after my last one, needed to stay overnight. I don't eat after them though as I feel so sick and I get a tremendous headache. Which probably doesn't help!

I think it's totally normal OP.

I always wake up crying my eyes out. But I remember it vividly.

The experience of coming round and hearing them saying my me was so weird. And the drifting off part - i remember still trying to talk to them, knowing what I was trying to say, but sort of just fading g out and my hand dropping to my side. So bizarre

I feel weirdly emotional about it all

Hearing them saying my name that should say

Adrenaline. I couldn't sleep for hours after my last one even though I was knackered as they gave me a ton of adrenaline. I also have similar blood pressure to you. Two hours after surgery it was 90/47 and that was after a ton of fluids.

I react really badly to GA - hot, sweaty, confused. It’s like an allergic reaction. I have similar with opiate based medication. It soon goes off but is unpleasant. Feel better soon OP.

I woke up crying once too. It takes a few days before I feel normal. You need something decent to
eat, like soup and a sandwich.

I don't react brilliantly either. But don't worry, just concentrate on yourself. It can take a few days to get out if your system so just take it easy.

The OP is unlikely to have had adrenaline if she’s well enough to have gone to the normal ward post op. There are other drugs used more commonly for bog-standard low-ish BP intraoperatively. (Doi: anaesthetist)

They won’t let you home til you’ve had a wee anyway op. Some bladders take a while to wake up.

My dh is medically trained though not a doctor. He always says people expect too much after a general anesthetic and should be far more patient with themselves. There is a reason they insist you have someone with you going home..in lreland anyway and will not let you out of their sight until they meet whoever is accompanying you. Relax, rest take your time. The nurses are well used to this. And the sensation of low pressure and weakness is horrible. Hopefully you feel better soon.

I did the first time I had one, and I remember the nurse telling me to stop making all that noise as I was upsetting the other patients. As a matter of fact, I wasn't aware that I was actually the source of the noise for a moment or two and felt rather miffed that I was being given a telling off.

I have this, I'm very sensitive to opiates. They make my blood pressure drop and I feel like you describe with anything stronger than paracetamol. Have they still got you on morphine/codeine and would you feel okay trying without them/asking for different pain relief while they wear off?

I’ve just had this exact thing done a couple of weeks ago OP.

it is normal and it will settle in a day or two.
theres a reason the leaflet I’m assuming they gave you tells you not do operate any machinery, (including driving) for 48hrs and to have support at home if possible :)

I had hubby walk me to the bathroom and back for day of and next day :)

It was an anaesthetist who told me I have an opiate sensitivity btw after I vomited everywhere and my blood pressure went to pot when I had a spinal. Not self diagnosed but it's a thing apparently.

@scaredofhospital sounds like you are dehydrated which will increase the feelings you describe. Dehydration can make you feel light- headed, drunk, woozy. Take your time and don’t be hard on yourself.

Yes, exactly, be patient with yourself, a general anaesthetic is a lot for your body to deal with. I've had one fairly recently and have to say, I did not feel quite right for about a week, though not as bad as the first day. I felt faint which is very unusual for me and in fact I went to the GP to be checked after a couple of days. I was fine and was advised to just take my time. It definitely affects people differently though. I also was surprised not to bounce back immediately, so I do know what you mean. Take care and take your time.

I've had double-figures numbers of GAs and even for me they are all different - I usually shrug them off quite well, but the last but one really did 'hang about', for want of a better word, for a couple of days. I had morphine the last time and it wasn't much fun either.
I hope you feel better soon.